Nancy Gleason
Director of Undergraduate Academic Excellence and Professor of Practice of Political Science
Research Interests
Professor Gleason is the editor of Higher Education in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Springer, 2018). She is the co-editor, Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education: Lessons from Across Asia (Palgrave March 2020). Her forthcoming edited volume is titled Humans PLUS Technology: Global Youth Insights on the Future of Work (Ethics International Press, June 2025). Email
Prior to joining MBZUAI, Professor Gleason served as the inaugural Director of the Ballon Center for Teaching and Learning at New York University Abu Dhabi and led the Center for Teaching and Learning at Yale-NUS College in Singapore. She has taught undergraduate students across three continents, offering courses in international relations, technology adoption, workforce transformation, and sustainable development.
Professor Gleason is internationally recognized for her expertise in guiding institutions and industries in the responsible adoption of AI-enabled technologies to enhance teaching, learning, and workforce development. Her research focuses on the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution on higher education and the future of work, with a particular emphasis on generative AI.
Her most recent book, Humans PLUS Technology: Global Youth Insights on the Future of Work (Ethics International Press), shares perspectives from young people around the world on how technology is shaping their careers and lives.
- Ph.D in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
- Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
- Master of Science in Economic History from the London School of Economics and Political Science
- Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University
Professor Gleason is the editor of Higher Education in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Springer, 2018). She is the co-editor, Diversity and Inclusion in Global Higher Education: Lessons from Across Asia (Palgrave March 2020). Her forthcoming edited volume is titled Humans PLUS Technology: Global Youth Insights on the Future of Work (Ethics International Press, June 2025).